Ladies and gents,

I am a newbie here having just got the OK to buy a new car from the boss.

Need some experienced and knowledgeable Skoda Vrs users/owners to give me some help and advice

so hence my questions. Have about £8k to spend, maybe a little more.

Am very keen on the Skoda VRS and have read through many of the threads here but still have some questions.

1. What is best model of VRS - petrol or diesel.

Assume mpg of diesel will be better. Am seeing that both models will take remapping and various

tweaks to improve performance and handling. Does the diesel feel front heavy? Does the petrol struggle

to lay down it's power? How is the handling of either car in normal trim?

Any other issues with either model?

My mind is vearing towards the petrol, VSI, DSG direction but juts trying to understand if that style

of Vrs has any inherent problems.

Was swithering over an estate version but boot seems big enough (on hatchback) to house a bunch of

pygmies.

As I say I need to get a feel for what is the best model. Have read various options are good - dual

aircon, leccy windows at rear, xenons, bluetooth, parking sensors and heated seats etc. Also what is maxidot?

What are the limited editions that are mentioned in one thread? Do they have extras added by Skoda

to denote them?

.....and I haven't even asked whether the estate is any better.

Thanks

Ken Mavor

Welcome to Briskoda!

The vRS is a great car, you can't really go wrong.

A quick search on here will reveal loads of threads on the debate over petrol vs. diesel. If MPG isn't too much of a concern I'd go petrol as it's 200bhp vs. the diesel's 170bhp.

Your £8,000 will limit you to a PD diesel (rather than the newer common rail) which again has it's fans (including me!) and others that aren't keen on it's low down shove. The CR delivers it's power much more like a petrol - more linear.

The diesel's demand a premium over the petrol so your likely to get a newer/lower mileage/higher specced petrol for your bosses £8K. I bought my diesel vRS last month (2007, 57, 33,000 miles for £9.5K). For £8K your either going to have to go older or high mileage. Another reason to choose petrol.

The early MKII vRS's (2006 ish) came without the rear electric windows, centre armrest (and AUX input - commonly referred to as the 'Jumbo Box'), climate control and 17" instead of 18" alloy wheels. I think these became standard sometime in 2007?

The early vRS's also got great looking green brake calipers too, these changed to red later on.

My diesel averages around 55mpg on a long run, I think the petrol is late 30's. Of course this depends on journey type and driving style. Both engines can be improved significantly with a remap. Again a quick search will reveal loads of threads, Revo and Shark getting good reviews.

People will warn you to avoid the diesel due to injector and DPF (dust particulate filter) issues but don't worry, these are rare.

I have another Octavia (Scout) which is an estate, the boot on the hatch is just as big, you only loose the space where the rear screen is which is rarely filled! The hatch vRS looks better too (in my opinion) due to the fact it benefits from the fab boot spoiler which the estate doesn't get.

I have xenon headlights and really rate them, I hunted for one with Maxidot, curtain airbags and rear parking sensors. Maxidot is basically a better version of the onboard computer, instead of being pixels and lights it's like an LCD screen. It also allows you to change certain settings to do with the lights and locks etc. (coming home / leaving home headlights, auto lock over 5mph, one fob button to release one or all doors etc. etc.)

Colour is important too, the vRS has to be in Race Blue. Again colour is subjective and has been done to death on here, some claiming blue is too common. Granted, it's a popular colour but on a rare car so you still see hardly any about.

The Limited Edition or 'LE' are all grey and benefit from the facelift interior (despite being a pre-FL) and very nice unique leather seats, different alloys and a boot badge. Other than that though they are standard and you couldn't add options from the factory so they are all pretty basic spec.

How to spot Maxidot:

My vRS and Scout:

Edited 1 December, 201114 yr by silver1011

You would have to start up the good old Petrol v Diesel debate..Don't think you will ever get a satisfying answer on this issue.Best advice really is too drive both and decide for yourself which you prefer,you're either a petrol or a diesel fan.

Having not had the diesel VRS, I cannot really comment on it's plus points and drawbacks. I've had my petrol VRS for 7 months now and absolutely adore it.

It's a fantastic car all round - practical, smart looking, comfortable (an accomplishment seeing as it's on 18" wheels) and seriously good fun when you want it to be.

My average mpg is about 36 which is from a real mixture of driving. I've had it as low as high 20s (when I first got it and couldn't resist flooring it everywhere!) and as high as 43 (driving around 40-50mph for an extended period. The engine is smooth and responsive, torquey and easy to drive. It's in no way peaky and you don't have to rev the whatsits off it to make extremely quick progress.

Handling wise, it's very good. It's not the best out there, but it's good and a really good compromise for everyday driving.

Extras to look for include the aforementioned Maxidot, Xenons (invaluable this time of year) and Sat Nav.

As for colour, Race Blue is a fantastic colour but I think it looks great in black too(I am slightly biased though). I would have got the race blue had I found the right car with the right spec when I was getting mine.

I can honestly say that I've not regretted buying my VRS for a second and would recommend it to anyone who asked. Go and have a test drive. I think you'll be converted.

Hello & welcome. Thanks for the interest in the brand. I hope that no matter which model you end up with you'll be highly satisfied with your purchase.

I can only add opinions on the petrol. I didn't look at the diesel because I don't do enough mileage to warrant it and I wanted a big petrol engine. While its not the "sensible" option, its not particularly insensible. I do feel the pinch at the pump, but then I remember I'm driving a 200bhp saloon car. Average MPG is around 32mpg but that is down country lanes all the time, so speeding up and slowing down and the rest in town. Get it on a motorway and you can make brisk progress and still return 35+mpg. The power delivery is smooth. If I had any critism it would be that its a bit too refined. But then again that means its perfect for just pottering to the shops or ferrying your grandmother around. Its a jack of all trades.

The car I have is a 2007 TFSi. Later cars come with a TSI engine. This has stronger internals and a higher power rating. Both can be tuned to impressive results - see the 200mph Octavia vRS.

I bought mine in the Summer. 2007 hatchback with 26,000miles, FSH, recent cambelt & service for £9000 from a Skoda main dealer. I would stick with a main dealer personally as you get a years warranty and they do tend to keep the better examples for the second hand forecourt.

The estate/hatch debate is one I had too. My concern was regarding carrying a dog about and various car parts. As mentioned above, the hatch and estate are the same length so the boot is the same size but you loose space where the hatch slopes down. I can fit my dog in there very comfortably. Personal choice again I suppose.

To conclude, they're great all round cars and carry on Skoda's 115 year tradition of making appealing, reliable cars for everyone.

Gents,

Excellent stuff and exactly what I was wanting to hear......

Sorry to reopen debates around petrol vs diesel and hatchback vs estate.

The best thing I have is time to test drive a few models, and then find the best spec

for my money. Aw away to try a diesel VRS from a nearby garage over the weekend. Will be

and interesting drive I suspect. Will let you know how it goes.

Thanks again.

Ken

Hi Ken and welcome aboard. When your in the diesel if its standard and not remapped as you've expressed an interest in remapping if you think its any good as 170bhp sensible remap will take the diesel to 205-210bhp ish and TRANSFORMS the car, likewise for a standard petrol v remapped. But for me a remapped diesel is a happy medium due to road tax and mpg. You know your own needs in the mpg department. Enjoy the test drives have as many as you can and let us know how you get on.

A little over your 8k budget will get u mine. In the for sale section

Gents,

Excellent stuff and exactly what I was wanting to hear......

Sorry to reopen debates around petrol vs diesel and hatchback vs estate.

The best thing I have is time to test drive a few models, and then find the best spec

for my money. Aw away to try a diesel VRS from a nearby garage over the weekend. Will be

and interesting drive I suspect. Will let you know how it goes.

Thanks again.

Ken

Its the best thing anyone can do,because we can come on here and obviously those that drive petrol will say go for petrol,and same for those that drive diesel.But its how you feel driving whichever one should determine the outcome..The vrs is the first diesel i bought 08 PD model.To be honest i find it to be a good drive and it does give you that little kick back in the seat when you accelerate something apparently the CR doesn't do because it seems to drive more like a petrol,I don't actually miss the petrol either,although i wouldn't dismiss having another petrol.

Its more down to personnel choice on this i think,but any faults or things you should look out for anyone on here would pritty much tell you about.

Myself i have just had the ABS module replaced,luckily after a bit persistence i got it done for free by Skoda.So if you buy a vrs between 2006 -2008 check its had the abs module replaced,If you go diesel some have had issues with the DPF,but i find generally if you take it for a blast on an expressway etc,it keeps things sweet.Apart from that can't think of anything i have had an issue with in the 3 yrs i've had the diesel..

Some very simple tips to get past the Petrol / Diesel .

If you are doing more that 15k miles p.a then a diesel is an option to consider, based on fuel costs. it is then down to preference.

A dsg will add approx £80 to your service bill for the oil change.

Usual things when buying second had - All paperwork, & read it thoroughly. Specially if its Diesel make sure it has had belt change @ recommended interval, if its close either ask for it to be done, or ask for approx £500 - 600 off price to cover this cost.

1. What is best model of VRS - petrol or diesel.

Assume mpg of diesel will be better. Am seeing that both models will take remapping and various

tweaks to improve performance and handling. Does the diesel feel front heavy? Does the petrol struggle

to lay down it's power? How is the handling of either car in normal trim?

Any other issues with either model?

The diesel is a bit front heavier, but I didn't think that it made much difference when I test drove both back-to-back (I bought the diesel in the end).

Due to the torque of the diesel, it is more difficult to put the power down than the petrol. This is especially true with the PD as the power/torque can all come in as a bit of a rush.

You need to drive both. To drive I personally would still prefer the petrol, but wanted the better residuals and economy of the diesel. I now have the CR diesel and personally feel that this is an even better blend within a single car.